ARCHAEOLOGICAL COMPONENT PERMIT APPLICATION S60 HERITAGE ACT NSW – 1977 RESEARCH DESIGN, EXCAVATION METHODOLOGY & HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT Cathedral Rest Park 73 King Street, Newcastle NSW Park Infrastructure and Landscaping works Jaki Baloh and Martin Carney AMAC Archaeological Management & Consulting Group Pty Ltd Archaeological for Newcastle City Council November 2012 Disclaimer The veracity of this report is not guaranteed unless it is a complete and original copy. This report may be inaccurate, incomplete, not original, or modified, if it appears in monochrome form and the signature below is a copy. Martin Carney Director (mobile 0411 727 395) Archaeological Management & Consulting Group Pty Ltd AMAC Ph (02) 9568 6093 Fax (02) 9568 6093 Archaeological Mob 0411 727 395 E-mail [email protected] Cover Image Christ Church Cathedral Barbara Moore Collection c.1840 – 1868 Baseline Archaeological Assessment – Cathedral Park, 73 King Street, Newcastle 1 CONTENTS PAGE Executive Summary 1.0 INTRODUCTION 13 1.1 BACKGROUND 13 1.2 STUDY AREA 13 1.3 SCOPE 13 1.4 AUTHOR IDENTIFICATION 13 1.5 STATUTORY CONTROLS AND HERITAGE STUDIES 13 1.5.1 NSW Heritage Act 1977 (as amended) 13 1.5.2 National Parks and Wildlife Act (1974) 14 1.5.3 State Heritage Register and Inventory 15 1.5.4 National Heritage List 15 1.5.5 National Trust Register 16 1.5.6 Commonwealth Heritage List 16 1.5.7 Newcastle Local Environment Plan 2012 16 1.5.8 Coroners Act 2009 16 1.5.9 The Public Health Act 17 1.5.10 Conversion of Cemeteries Act 1974 - Sect 16 18 1.6 RELEVANT STUDIES AND PREVIOUS REPORTS 18 1.6.1 EJE Landscape (February 1991) Extension to Cathedral Park and Mulimbah Cottage Heritage Study: Final Report prepared for Newcastle City Council 18 1.6.2 Suters Architects (January 2000) Wolfe Street Sandstone Retaining Wall Conservation Works, Newcastle, NSW, for Newcastle City Council 19 1.6.3 Douglas Partners (August 2003) Report on Geotechnical Investigation of Cathedral Park Sandstone Wall, King Street, Newcastle, prepared for Suters Architects on behalf of Newcastle City Council. 19 1.6.4 Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd (September 2004a) Cathedral Rest Park, King Street, Newcastle: Conservation Policy and Archaeological Management Plan for Newcastle City Council 20 1.6.5 Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd (September 2004b) Cathedral Rest Park, King Street, Newcastle: Archaeological Assessment and Research Design for Newcastle City Council 20 1.6.6 Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd (November 2004c) Hannell Monument, Cathedral Park, Newcastle: Archaeological Monitoring of Restoration Works Final Report Prepared by Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd for Newcastle City Council 21 1.6.7 Newcastle City Council (March 2007) DRAFT Cathedral Park Newcastle Conservation and Interpretation Plan 21 1.6.8 Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd (August 2011) Christ Church Cathedral Rest Park, Newcastle: Archaeological Assessment and Statement of Heritage Impact for Newcastle City Council 21 1.6.9 Austral (August 2012) Christ Church Cathedral Rest Park, Newcastle, Archaeological Test Excavation Results DRAFT Report Prepared by Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd for Newcastle City Council 22 1.6.10 Archaeological Management and Consulting Group Pty Ltd (September 2012) Geotechnical Bore Testing – Archaeological Supervision, Exemption Notification – s57(2) NSW Heritage Act, Newcastle Cathedral Cemetery Grounds – SHR 01858, Church Street, Newcastle, NSW 22 1.7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 22 2.0 SITE HISTORY 23 2.1 PRE-EUROPEAN 23 Archaeological Management & Consulting Group Pty Limited November 2012 Baseline Archaeological Assessment – Cathedral Park, 73 King Street, Newcastle 2 2.2 SETTLEMENT HISTORY 23 2.3 CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL BURIAL GROUNDS 24 3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE 36 3.1 SITE INSPECTION 36 3.2 HISTORICAL TAPHONOMY 44 3.2.1 Geology 44 3.2.2 Land Use 44 3.3 PREVIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORK AND SUB SURFACE STUDIES 46 3.3.1 Austral (November 2004c) Hannell Monument, Cathedral Park, Newcastle: Archaeological Monitoring of Restoration Works Final Report Prepared by Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd for Newcastle City Council 46 3.3.2 Austral (August 2011) Christ Church Cathedral Rest Park, Newcastle, Archaeological Assessment and Statement of Heritage Impact Prepared by Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd For Newcastle City Council 47 3.3.3 Austral (August 2012) Christ Church Cathedral Rest Park, Newcastle, Archaeological Test Excavation Results DRAFT Report Prepared by Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd For Newcastle City Council 48 3.3.4 Douglas Partners (August 2003) Report on Geotechnical Investigation Cathedral Park Sandstone Wall, King Street, Newcastle, prepared for Suters Architects on behalf of Newcastle City Council. 51 3.3.5 GBG Australia (October 2012) Geophysical Investigation to Locate Unmarked Grave Sites Within Newcastle Cathedral Cemetery, Newcastle, New South Wales. 52 3.3.6 SMEC Australia Pty Ltd (October 2012) Geotechnical Report - Newcastle Cathedral Park for Newcastle City Council 54 3.4 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 60 3.4.1 Stage 2 Demolition Plan 60 3.4.2 Stage 3 Demolition Plan 60 3.4.3 Layout and Levels Plan 61 3.5 STATEMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL POTENTIAL 67 3.6 STATEMENT OF HERITAGE IMPACT 67 4.0 ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE 69 4.1 METHODOLOGY 69 4.2 IDENTIFICATION OF SIGNIFICANCE 70 4.3 STATEMENT OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE 72 5.0 RESEARCH DESIGN 73 6.0 ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION METHODOLOGY 75 6.1 INTRODUCTION 75 6.2 MONITORING DEMOLITION AND REMOVAL OF FILL 77 6.3 EXCAVATION 77 6.4 GRAVES AND HUMAN REMAINS 78 6.5 RECORDING 78 6.6 ANALYSIS AND FINAL REPORTING 78 6.7 INTERPRETATION 79 7.0 RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 80 7.1 RESULTS 80 7.1.1 Documentary Research 80 7.1.2 Significance 81 7.1.3 Physical Evidence 82 7.2 RECOMMENDATIONS 83 7.3 STATEMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE IMPACT 83 8.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY 84 Archaeological Management & Consulting Group Pty Limited November 2012 Baseline Archaeological Assessment – Cathedral Park, 73 King Street, Newcastle 3 9.0 APPENDICES 87 9.1 STATE HERITAGE REGISTER LISTING 87 Archaeological Management & Consulting Group Pty Limited November 2012 Baseline Archaeological Assessment – Cathedral Park, 73 King Street, Newcastle 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Documentary Research Existing Christ Church records date back to only 1826 and the first burial recorded, numbered “one”, is at the beginning of that year. There is evidence to show that burials were occurring in the church’s vicinity at least in the early 1820s and probably dating back to the earlier 1812 version of the church. There is also some evidence to suggest that the burial grounds were originally more extensive than indicated on the 1822 proposed plan for the site and that the shape it took on in the mid 19th century is a limited view of the sites earliest use. The Christ Church Cathedral and burial ground did not have officially granted land until 1817 according to the plan amended by Captain Wallis. However, the arrangement does not appear to have been formalised by a Crown Grant until the 27th of April 1859 when 1 acre, 3 roods and 6 perches were allocated to the church, signed by the governor of New South Wales, William Denison. Despite the lack of explicit and existing sources, it is still likely that burials were to taking place in this general area before 1817, regardless of the legal status of the land. As the only cemetery in Newcastle for some time and open to all Christian denominations, the Christ Church burial ground was used frequently until the 1840s. Other denominations established their own cemeteries and use of Christ Church declined despite the fact that Newcastle’s population doubled from the mid 1850s. During the 1860s provisions for a public cemetery were discussed to accommodate the growing population and their deceased. The history of the cemetery was marked by various accounts of the condition of its grounds. As early as 1826 the “ruinous state” of the church and grounds has been at issue. Examples of pig, sheep and human traffic through the cemetery and over use of the burial space and the surfacing of human remains are evidence of ongoing disturbance to the soil profile. It took many years for the decline in use of the Christ Church burial ground to culminate in a final discontinuation. So long in fact, that council created a new law that gave itself the power to pass by-laws “regulating” the interment of the dead in 1881. After this time there are three entries in the burial register, attracting litigation and the cause of much contention between the council and the church. Once removed from use and as the uncertainty of its redevelopment grew, the burial ground began to suffer from neglect and the overgrowth of vegetation. The cemetery languished until the 1960s conversion which uprooted the remaining headstones and wild vegetation and installed terraces, retaining walls and park benches. This process rejuvenated the area however it came at the cost of its integrity as a historical site. Significance The study site is recognised on the State Heritage Register with Christ Church Cathedral its moveable collection, park and cemetery. The cemetery is one of the earliest and longest surviving burial grounds in New South Wales. It has retained the same basic shape since the original 1823 town plan of Newcastle and is an important link to the historical urban landscape. The cemetery has long been connected with a place of religious devotion in various forms, from the early church to the 1883 cathedral. As a cultural space in a growing city both the cemetery and Archaeological Management & Consulting Group Pty Limited November 2012 Baseline Archaeological Assessment – Cathedral Park, 73 King Street, Newcastle 5 cathedral demonstrate remarkable continuity and lasting significance. Interred there, in various conditions are the remains of possibly thousands of inhabitants of Newcastle from its earliest occupation to the 1880s. The site also has strong associations in both life and death with persons of historical importance including the architect of the aesthetically and technically State significant cathedral John Horbury Hunt, also the first bishop of Newcastle William Tyrrell and the first mayor of Newcastle James Hannell.